The construction industry is a key area of focus for WAE Group and its capabilities to produce large hoardings have been enhanced by the purchase of a new Longier flatbed printer from QPS
Securing new work in a highly competitive marketplace can be major challenge for sign-makers, with many companies battling for jobs. However, this may not be such an issue for those businesses that have worked hard to build up a valued base of customers that regularly return for more work.
This is one of the main factors behind the success of the WAE Group, which was incorporated in 2001 when several smaller companies joined together to create a larger operation. Paul Austin is the captain of the good ship WAE Group, and as managing director, oversees what is one of the larger sign-making businesses in the UK, with a staff roster of 32.
(Above & below) WAE Group has broadened its production capabilities significantly over the last few years so it can say ‘yes’ to virtually any request from a customer
Austin says that all of his staff are extremely skilled in what they do and work hard to ensure that all applications produced are in line with both his and the company’s very high standards.
“Quality is down to the people we have working for us; they know their job well,” Austin explains, adding: “We don’t let inferior work out of the door as we know it would come back. You’ve got to give the client a quality job if you want to retain them and that is what we do.
Quality is down to the people we have working for us; they know their job well”
“We are always busy from retained clients. We don’t have a very expensive sales team, as it is referrals from clients that keep us busy. And much of this is down to the service of our staff. They are all heavily involved with their own clients and like to keep them up-to-date as to what is going on with their work. We like to offer a really personal service to our customers.
You’ve got to give the client a quality job if you want to retain them and that is what we do”
“For example, we sometimes have the opportunity to sell our customers a more expensive sign, but we don't because it is about what we think they need, rather than what would be most profitable to us. Lots of clients come to us with ideas and artwork, but sometimes it is not exactly what they need, so we try and guide them to show them what would be best. This helps to develop a really personal relationship with our customer.”
Valuable customers
Leading on from this, Austin says that, without being complacent, WAE Group does not have an issue in bringing in work. He explains that because of the high quality of service offered by the company and its committed staff, customers return time and time again for new jobs, thus ensuring a steady flow of work.
“We don’t have too much trouble bringing the work in; we are in a number of areas and we find that if one of these drops off a bit, another will pick us up,” Austin says.
He continues: “I suppose one of the main things we can find difficult is transportation to sites. Every day can be a different sign in a different part of the country, and we have to ensure we are able to make the journey, dealing with factors out of our control such as traffic. Then you also have to get through a lot of paperwork to actually get onto sites to carry out work—something that has become much more of an issue in recent years.”
“We don’t have a very expensive sales team, as it is referrals from clients that keep us busy,” explains Paul Austin
With a solid customer base, Austin is keen to ensure that WAE Group continues to offer a high quality of service to retain clients. While his committed staff form a key part of this ongoing strategy, Austin looks to investment in new kit as a way of supporting them in their new work.
Towards the end of 2017, WAE Group took delivery of Longier Hunter RU3200, the first of its kind in the UK. Purchased from QPS, the Longier is a 3.2m UV LED roll-to-roll printer, featuring Ricoh Gen 5 print heads, that has a top speed of 80sq m/h and offers resolutions of up to 600 x 1,200dpi.
The machine has been in place since October and Austin says WAE Group has already seen a significant improvement in production: “We previously had a Jeti from Agfa. It was in place for about seven years but opted to look for something new towards the end of last year.
“I was interested in LED and thought it would be good to go down this route. We spoke with QPS and they recommended the Longier Hunter, which at the time was in development but almost ready to go. I took a bit of a flyer on it to be honest, as there wasn’t one in the country to look at, at the time.
“After taking delivery of it in October, we have had time to get to grips with it and it really lives up to our expectations—the print quality on the machine is fantastic. Although we have had a few teething problems, which of course is very common with new kit, we can see a real difference in our work.
Austin adds: “We have also had plenty of support from QPS, which have been great with us right through from first speaking to them about the machine to sending tech guys out to fix any issues we have had with it. Such is the strength of our relationships with QPS that we now purchase most of our inks from them for our printing kit.”
Niche markets
The Longier Hunter RU3200 is now hard at work supporting WAE Group with its wide-ranging production portfolio, which stretches from traditional sign-writing jobs, through to banner and signage work for leading brands. Austin says that the company has been able to establish itself in what he describes as a ‘niche’ sector in the form of development companies and estate agents.
“We do a lot of work for construction companies, development businesses, and companies that own industrial estates and land,” Austin says, adding: “We’ve got quite a niche with the development companies and estate agent market, as we have been able to establish so many long-term relationships here, and that has been really beneficial for us.
“We also do a lot of work for hotel companies around the UK and have recently been involved with jobs in Manchester and Liverpool. Besides this, we still do a bit of the more traditional work that I started out with when I first joined the industry as an apprentice sign-writer.”
This final comment sums up WAE Group nicely; the firm is active in a number of sectors, but remains true to its roots by ensuring that all of the work it produces is given as much care and attention as traditional signs require. By retaining this focus on quality over the years, the company has been able to not only establish itself as a leading sign-maker, but also ensure repeated business from customers that recognise this commitment and respect the company for its efforts.
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